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Sustainable Home Textiles: Eco-Friendly Fabrics for a Modern Home

Published: January 21, 2025
Author: HFT
Dr. Oinam Roselyn Devi

Dr. Oinam Roselyn Devi Assistant Professor Amity School of Fashion Technology Amity University Mumbai

The concept of sustainability has grown more important in today’s fast-paced society in many facets of our lives, including how we decorate our homes. Sustainable home textiles are becoming more and more popular among environmentally conscious consumers who want to minimize their environmental impact while creating a comfortable and appealing living space. This article explores the application of conventional and innovative sustainable fibre used in home textiles, and how you can adopt eco-friendly living without sacrificing comfort or elegance.

What are Sustainable Home Textiles?

The term “sustainable home textiles” describes textiles, materials, and furnishings that are made, utilised, and discarded in a way that reduces their negative impact on the environment and encourages social responsibility. This includes curtains as well as towels and bedding. 

The primary principles of sustainable textiles are as follows:

Eco-Friendly Materials: Natural, renewable, and biodegradable materials including organic cotton, hemp, bamboo, linen, and wool are frequently used to make sustainable home textiles. Compared to their synthetic counterparts, these materials have a lower carbon footprint and need fewer chemicals and energy during production.

Ethical Production: This involves creating sustainable textiles under fair labour conditions, prioritizing workers’ well-being and fostering ethical work environments. Manufacturers frequently support local communities, empowering skilled artisans while minimising transportation-related emissions.

Minimal Environmental Impact: Sustainable textiles are produced through eco-friendly processes that reduce water usage, pollution, and waste. Many brands also incorporate environmentally conscious dyeing and finishing techniques to further lessen their ecological impact.

Conventional Fibres in Home Textiles 

Natural fibres such as cotton, wool, and linen continue to dominate the home textiles sector. In recent years, manmade fibres like polyester, rayon, nylon, polypropylene, Teflon, Recron, and acrylic have also gained prominence. Polyester is widely used in carpets and curtains due to its strength, warmth, abrasion resistance, and resistance to moths and mildew.

The production of home textiles reveals that cotton and synthetic fibres each account for approximately 38% and 37% of total fibre consumption, respectively. Wool and animal hair contribute around 6%, while flax represents a mere 0.1% of fibres used. Additionally, about 20% of the fibre usage remains unidentified, as their classification or specific categories are unclear. Blends of natural and synthetic fibres have also become increasingly popular among manufacturers, offering improved fabric performance and meeting diverse consumer demands.

Application of Innovative Sustainable Fibres in Home Textiles

The potential application of environmentally friendly fibres, such as solar protection fibres, coir, jute, water lily fibre, silk, milk fibre, wood fibres, seaweed fibres, soybean fibre, bamboo fibre, and hemp, in various home textile products has garnered significant interest from consumers.

A. Solar Protection Fibre: Lenzing has introduced a groundbreaking fibre with solar protection properties, based on TENCEL. This fibre incorporates permanent pigments, offering long-lasting protection against solar radiation with SPF levels of up to 110. It is a sustainable alternative to polyester and conventionally treated solar-protection fabrics, making it ideal for eco-conscious home textiles.

B. Golden Natural Fibres (Coir and Jute): Coir, a versatile natural fibre derived from the mesocarp tissue or husk of the coconut fruit, has long been utilized in products such as doormats, mattresses, and upholstery. Needle-felted pads of curled coir fibre are shaped and cut for use as mattress filling. Similarly, jute stands out as the most affordable and durable natural fibre, offering attributes like lustre, high tensile strength, low extensibility, excellent breathability, and moderate resistance to heat and fire. These qualities make jute a preferred material for manufacturing carpet backings and mats.

C. Water Lily Fibre: Water lily fibre holds potential for applications in curtains, upholstery, table runners, and napkins. While its commercial viability remains largely unexplored, it is regarded as a promising eco-friendly option for future home textile products.

D. Milk Fibre: Derived from cow’s milk through advanced bioengineering processes, milk fibre undergoes wet spinning to create high-quality textile fibres. It blends seamlessly with cotton or silk to regulate air quality, offering comfort, durability, and an elegant finish. Its antibacterial and absorbent qualities make it ideal for household items like towels, bathrobes, bed linen, and spa textiles.

E. Wood Fibres: Harvested from sustainably managed timber, wood Fibres are smooth, breathable, and temperature-adaptive. Combining the softness of cashmere with the freshness of linen, these fibres readily absorb and release moisture, making them perfect for lightweight towelling and other home textiles.

F. Seaweed Fibres: “Sea Cell,” a sustainable cellulose-based fibre incorporating seaweed, enriches skin with vitamins and minerals, especially when wet. Its antibacterial properties make it ideal for wellness textiles such as bathrobes and bed and kitchen linens, ensuring both functionality and eco-friendliness.

G. Soybean Fibre: Soybean fibre mimics cashmere’s softness while surpassing cotton, viscose, and silk in UV resistance and ventilation. With excellent moisture absorption, it is a versatile choice for bedding and bath products.

H. Bamboo Fibre: Due to its antibacterial properties, bamboo fibre is widely used in hygiene-focused products such as mattresses, sanitary towels, and napkins. It is also a favourite for decorative and practical home textiles, including curtains, sofa covers, towels, and spa products.

I. Hemp Fibre: Hemp fibre is known for its excellent heat conduction, UV resistance, mildew prevention, and antibacterial qualities. Its coarse texture makes it suitable for rustic table and floor products such as mats, runners, and coasters, though it remains underutilized in conventional home textiles.

J. Cork Fibre: Villani Leonello of Italy has pioneered the use of cork in textiles. Cork fabric, crafted by laminating natural cork onto textiles like viscose or polyester, offers unique features such as eco-friendliness, wear resistance, and resistance to microorganisms. It is ideal for upholstery, furnishings, and wall coverings, delivering both innovation and sustainability.

Brands Producing Sustainable Home Textiles

  • 1. Greenhome Furnishings Private Limited

A division of BKS Textiles, established in 1985, Greenhome specializes in manufacturing and exporting high-quality sustainable bed linens, table linens, kitchen linens, and made-up textiles.

EKOSCIOUS: Greenhome’s flagship range, EKOSCIOUS, embodies ecological responsibility with eight distinctive collections: Organitrack, Magikal, Lineage, Hemperor, Bamboom, Reklaim, BluePoly, and Petra. These collections are crafted using low-impact fibres that adhere to principles of sustainability and circular economy.

BLUEPOLY: The BluePoly collection features sustainable bedding created by blending BCI Cotton with Suprelle® Blue, a recycled ocean-bound polyester fibre from ADVANSA, Germany. The fibres are made from post-consumer PET bottles collected from seacoasts, contributing to cleaner oceans and healthier marine ecosystems. Additionally, replacing virgin polyester with BluePoly reduces carbon emissions, ensuring a sustainable choice for better sleep and improved lives.

PETRA: The Petra collection features biodegradable, recycled polyester products made with R|Elan™ EcoGold fibres integrated with CICLO® technology. This innovative technology allows environmental microbes to break down polyester into basic natural elements, like natural fibres, thereby reducing the persistence of textile waste in landfills and oceans. These fibres are not only eco-friendly but also easy to care for, promoting a healthier planet.

  • 2. Greendigo:

Greendigo’s organic bedsheets, cushions, and towels—all made with GOTS-certified organic fabrics—offer a sustainable and ethical approach to home living, aiming to normalize eco-conscious choices.

  • 3. Coyuchi:

Christine Nielson, the founder of Coyuchi, was a trailblazer in sustainable textiles and deeply committed to sustainable architecture. As one of the first companies to offer organic cotton bedding, Coyuchi has continued to lead in sustainability initiatives. Renowned for its innovation, Coyuchi recently became the first home textile brand to embrace the circular economy, creating new products from original, natural, and certified organic fibres

Conclusion:

Sustainability is becoming a central focus in home decor, with eco-friendly textiles gaining popularity among conscious consumers. Natural fibres like cotton, wool, and linen dominate the sector, but innovative fibres such as coir, jute, bamboo, and cork are being embraced for their eco-friendly properties. Brands like Greenhome Furnishings lead the way with collections like EKOSCIOUS, featuring sustainable fibres like Suprelle® Blue (from recycled PET bottles) and R|Elan™ EcoGold with CICLO® technology for biodegradable polyester. These advancements prove that sustainability and style can coexist, offering eco-conscious solutions for comfortable and elegant living spaces.

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